A Reason to Wish
by The Storytelling Maunderer
Summary: To put it bluntly, I really, really hate fantasy. But to make things right, I'll do anything- even if it means living in the city of my nightmares. I'm fighting for nights without bleeding moons and lost reasons.     -original character based story-


(A quick author note: _Hi, people... um... this is the rewrite of my Soul Eater fanfic; A Reason to Wish. It's an original character-based story so while some of the main characters of Soul Eater may be involved, they won't have any kinds of huge parts. This is the only time I'll put an author note before the story/chapter starts in this whole story... and um...the views and opinions of characters in this story are not necessarily those of the author. ...please enjoy!)_

`((*W*))`

My story started out like any other good one; on a dirty old bus, in the middle of the desert, where the windows had such thick layers of splattered bugs that not even the unnatural pouring rain outside could wash them off. The faded road we were traveling down was the only one leading to the infamous Death City, whose blurry form I could barely see through the stained window. Uncomfortably, I tried to shift my legs so that they wouldn't be squished by my luggage, and wished we could just get there already. The other riders had been pretty chatty in the beginning, but five hours of this torture was enough to shut up even the most talkative of them.

Just from looking around, I'd known from the start of this ride that the people around me were… different. Different like me, with the carefree look I'd met in the mirror and an underlying darkness. It almost made me think I'd be able to get along with someone, but that wasn't what I was here for. I was going to go to Death Weapon Meister Academy to get strong, and for no other reason.

Minutes passed and the city didn't seem to get closer. I was feeling carsick and irritated so I closed my eyes, and half as much time passed before a chill ran up my arm and I snapped awake.

Instantly on guard, I blinked and sat up, only to realize that the bus had stopped. We were in Death City.

The rain was as relentless as ever as the other passengers and I left the bus. The air was fresh and cool compared to that of the bus, and the dark, oddly-shaped buildings surrounding us provided an interesting spectacle. We were on a sloped hill, and the hotel looked like heaven sitting across the street. Without hesitating, I pulled my luggage across the damp streets, wishing for an umbrella, and being closely followed by some other desperate passengers.

My brown boots managed to track footprints all over the nice, fun to ruin carpet. Everything in the hotel was surprisingly normal looking, and even the room I got was pretty average. A bed with green flower-patterned blankets, all nicely folded as if beckoning me, with a fancy lamp and bedside table, desk, minifridge, TV… it was like a safehaven from the oddities that were sure to await me. Even knowing that it would be my home for at least a little while, I had to remind myself that this wasn't a vacation. After I'd gotten what I'd needed in Death City, I wouldn't be coming back.

`((*W*))`

"Welcome to the Orientation for all you new students! My name is Peggy Suess and I will be your teacher this year." A centaur- no, I'm not joking, the woman's bottom half was a friggin horse- stood in front of the crowd of students, a loud, annoying seeming group that fit just right to a tight-lipped old lady like the teacher of the Blue Moon Class. If not for her…. well, non-humanness, she would've been the ideal middle school teacher, graying bun and bland outfit included.

The black-spiked, skull covered… _unique_ building that was really not suited to be a_ school_ of all things, stood boldly in front of the growing crowd standing idly on in the white courtyard. Arms crossed and stare focused on the gigantic candles that didn't seem to shrink, I stood a few feet away from the general mass of them until Ms. Peggy Suess ushered us inside.

"For years, this academy has brought upon the best weapon and meister teams that the world has ever seen. It was started, as most of you know, by the famous Lord Death…" The _clop-clop_ sound of her hooves on the tiled blank floors set off a rhythmic pace that was generally ignored along with her speech by the majority of the student body. From where I stood in the back, I could see people already trying to pair up into teams as we followed the hallways.

"Would you stop with that glum look? Even your soul wavelength is all depressing; I can feel it from over here." A high-pitched, irritating voice rang in my ears. "You think you've got problems, I can't even get myself a hot guy for a weapon because I'm stuck with my idiot eleven year-old cousin with a temper problem who doesn't understand me at all- and now your wavelength is making everything worse. "

The speaker was a girl my height with too much makeup and blonde shoulder-length hair that curled up on each side. She wore a short pink skirt and a white tank top with 'LOVE SOULS' written on it in big red letters.

I paused, before replying with a grimace, "That's not really my problem... if you're looking for someone to vent to, I would suggest going to someone else."

The trespasser upon my personal space took a deep, angry breath and put her hands on her hips. I winced inwardly as she opened her mouth to retort angrily. _Shoot, now she's mad. Somebody help me. Please. _

"Hey hey! I can't believe I'm actually stopping a fight from starting, but Amalie, look over there! Cute guy! Go flirt! Before someone else comes!" Another girl, shorter and with a long black braid that fell down her back, stepped forward to interfere.

"Mirielle, I'm not stupid. I mean-" She looked quickly and her eyes widened. "…oh, he's really cute, you're right… um…" she looked to me, then back to the guy, then to me, then back to him again. "Fine. I'll be back." With a quick twirl of her head, 'Amalie' was gone. Like a pink whirlwind of annoyance.

"…that was interesting." I looked skeptically at the black haired girl. "Let me guess: The eleven year old cousin with a temper problem?"

"Who eats meat, to boot."

"Heh?"

"She's a vegetarian. And, by the way, I'm Mirielle. The doomed mace weapon of the person you just met." Mirielle held out a hand with a confident grin.

"..." Instead of shaking her hand, I turned. "Teacher's talking."

"Everyone inside! This is the Blue Moon class, and it would be best if you pests at least tried to remember where it is… every year, there's people coming late, getting lost, making excuses… horrible." We awkwardly shuffled through the doorway after the teacher, all while taking in the feel of the classroom. On my way, I'd seen the inside of a few other classrooms, and they looked something like lecture halls in a college, and ours had that same structure, except for one particular detail.

Our classroom had no roof.

As the centaur teacher adjusted her bun, she clopped a little further away from us and I felt a speech coming. "My…er… _adorable_ students…" her half-grin looked out of place on her face as she stood in the front of the class with the bunch of us standing in the doorway. "I am hoping to have a wonderful year with all of you, and for you to all learn the true meaning of this academy while you are my students. As for the ceiling- I'm sure you've noticed by now, there is no shelter in this classroom. I'm sure you've noticed this as well, but I _am _a centaur, so expect your experience here to be different than with any other teacher at Death Weapon Meister Academy. Of course, you shall learn to strengthen your souls, minds, and your bodies…"

A murmur of agreement passed through.

"…But you will also learn to strengthen your hearts. Call me an old sap if you will-" at this, she kicked one of her back legs out, and it took me a second to realized that she'd just slammed a fly into the wall- "and trust me, I'm not going to give speeches like this every day, though you'll wish I would once we're all chummy, yet, dears, I have never failed to make my students thrive. Mind you, not help, but _make_ you thrive. There are some strengths that cannot be obtained without help from others, just as your soul, body, and mind must depend on each other."

Stopping and giving a warm look-which I assumed to be fake- at the whole of us, she said quietly, "Good luck."

There was a moment, in that short speech, where I had felt something. It wasn't the words she had been saying that had reached me, rather, it had been someone touching something deep inside me with something deep inside of them. The feeling was coming from behind me, full of good intention and all that goody-happy-joy stuff that I didn't need at the time. I snapped around, but no one's face matched that feeling. It was as if the 'feeling' had been reaching out to me only to hide when I turned around …for a reason.

After explaining more things that I didn't pay attention to in my search for what had reached out to me, Ms. Suess called, "Come on now! Orientation's over, you've met each other and presumably enjoyed the free invisible food, so I'll lead you out and hopefully you can find your way around when the time comes. Follow me!"

The crowd, a little quieter now, obeyed and we were soon out in the hallway again.

"I'm going to ask you a question." Miri-whatever's voice came from behind me and I started.

"What is it?"

"Are you… a boy… or a girl?" She looked genuinely confused, and while I respected her guts to ask me full out, I couldn't help lifting an eyebrow.

"We're going to be in the same class all year. I think you'll just have to wait and find out." I even bothered adding a smile after the sentence to confuse her more.

Later on, after I'd managed to avoid continuing the conversation and had gotten back to the hotel I was staying in, I stared up at the ceiling from my freshly made bed and let the worries I'd arrived with drown me once more. If I had come to this town for normal reasons- at least, as normal as it gets here in Death City, I would've shaken her hand.

Seconds later, as my phone vibrated from the bedside table, I received the same text I received every night.

'_Hey, Sorai! You'd better be okay! See you soon!'-from your annoying little sis. ._

To be honest, without those texts, I wouldn't have been able to come to a city that represented everything I hated. They were like my lifeline, although, if my plans went wrong…

I wouldn't be seeing my little sister again.


End file.
